Pageants aren't my thing, but I can understand why Patsy did this with JonBenet. I lost a close friend to cancer a few years ago, and she had done a similar thing,(not pageants though) with her daughters. Once she was in remission she started trying to cram in as many mother daughter experiences as possible.
In an interview with Barbara Walters Patsy said something similar. Pageants had been a very special time in her life. Having just recovered from ovarian cancer, she didn't believe she would live to see her daughter grow up, and she wanted to share this experience with her daughter while she could.
Many cancer patients are lucky if their remission lasts even five years. I think we need to consider where Patsy was coming from before we place judgement on her concerning the pageants. No, they aren't what I would choose. I would pick out something that had been wonderful to me, but from Patsy's perspective that's what she was doing.
By every report I have read, the pagents were a shared joy. They're not inexpensive either.